In a circuit breaker with microcontroller-based fault detection, a failure in the power supply regulator circuit or the microcontroller itself can lead to an inability to detect faults on the circuit being protected, leaving the load to which the circuit breaker is connected unprotected and vulnerable. It is desirable to have a circuit breaker deny power to the protected circuit if the circuit breaker does not have the ability to detect faults by tripping as soon after power is applied as possible.
What is needed is a backup circuit that forces a microcontroller-based circuit breaker to trip if the microcontroller does not start up correctly either due to a failure in the regulated power supply or a fault in the microcontroller itself or both. Aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are directed to addressing/solving these and other needs.